Man City get go-ahead to increase stadium capacity

An application was made to Manchester City Council in November and it has now approved the club's plans to take their stadium capacity to 62,170 from 47,670.

(Reuters)

The 2012 Premier League champions, currently third in the table, want to increase each area behind the goals by up to 6,250 seats and add up to 2,000 additional pitch side seats.

Should Abu Dhabi-owned City complete their plans, the increased capacity would make the Etihad Stadium the second biggest in the Premier League behind Manchester United's Old Trafford.

The stadium was built in 2000 to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games and once included an athletics track, with City moving into their new home in 2003.

(Reporting By Sam Holden; Editing by Mark Meadows)